Solar. Simple. Together.

Solarize Connecticut (Solarize CT) is a pilot program designed to encourage the adoption of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by deploying a coordinated education, marketing and outreach effort, combined with a tiered pricing structure that provides increased savings to homeowners as more people in one community go solar.

The Solarize Connecticut pilot is based on a proven residential aggregation model designed to bring down the cost of solar PV when residents sign up for a pre-selected installer’s offering. The more residents who sign up to install solar, the more the price decreases for everyone who participates. And because the installer, the technology and the exact price of PV are provided upfront, it is much easier for residents to make the decision to go solar.

The Solarize approach has already met success in Oregon and Massachusetts, and with the guidance and support of the Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, the John Merck Fund, and SmartPower, we are excited to make it a reality here in Connecticut. By lowering installed costs and increasing customer acquisition through community aggregation strategies such as Solarize Connecticut, financing can become integral to creating a long-term sustainable market for residential solar PV in Connecticut.

Durham, Fairfield, Portland and Westport were selected through a competitive process to participate in the program’s pilot phase, which will run through the end of 2012. Once the pilot phase is complete, Solarize Connecticut will welcome additional towns to apply the best practices and lessons learned to help solar spread throughout the rest of Connecticut and beyond.